Love in an Elevator
by ibreak4CSI
Summary: [LL] Luke. Lorelai. Elevator. Clichés abound. Just read, you know you want to! [Complete!]
1. Mr Fix It

**Summary: (LL) Luke. Lorelai. Elevator. Clichés abound. Just read; you know you want to!**

**Notes: Okay, this is probably about the farthest from an original idea I could come up with...however, I was struck with inspiration, and, well, turns out I have an extremely low tolerance for nagging muses. Muses, which, incidentally, don't seem to like to stick around to actually let me FINISH anything longer than five chapters...woops, got a little distracted there. Anyway, by fault of aforementioned muses, this probably won't be any longer than three chapters or so. Now, enough with the rambling and enter the wonderful world of JavaJunkiness!**

**Setting: Lorelai and Luke aren't together yet. That's really all you need to know!**

**Rating: T **

**Disclaimer: Oy with the disclaimers already! I don't own Gilmore Girls or "Love in An Elevator" by Aerosmith...or the quote I tweaked slightly for said disclaimer.**

**Love In an Elevator**

**Chapter One: Mr. Fix It**

"Thank you SO much for doing this, Luke. You have no idea how much it means to me." Lorelai Gilmore said for the millionth time as she walked with Luke Danes up the stairs of the Dragonfly Inn's front porch. It probably wasn't _really_ the millionth time. It just seemed like it to Luke in his heightened state of aggravation, due to losing nearly an hour of sleep to wake up for an "early" shipment that wound up not getting in until after seven.

"Really? Because I think the last, oh, fifty times you've thanked me might have been a giveaway." Luke deadpanned, making his way inside the inn, his toolbox, affectionately named Bert - by Lorelai, not Luke, as he would never actually call an inanimate object by a name - firmly in hand.

"_Luuke_." She turned to him and made a pouty face.

"You're welcome," He said grudgingly.

The frown disappeared from her face immediately, to be replaced by a large grin. "That's better. Now, to the reason you're here." She said, motioning toward the recently installed elevator a few feet from where they were standing.

"I still don't see the reason why you had this thing put in anyway. It wouldn't kill people to go up one flight of stairs," He said grumpily.

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. You get to fix something. You like fixing things."

"I do?"

"Yes," She said firmly, no discussion.

"Okay, then, goody." The sarcasm was evident in his voice, but Lorelai ignored it. "So, what exactly is it I get to do?"

"Fix it."

"I know that, we covered it on the phone. What is it about it that needs fixing?" Luke asked with dwindling patience.

"I'm not really sure. It's making a noise."

"Like?" He prompted.

"Monkeys on meth."

Luke blinked. "You wouldn't possibly have a more...mechanical description, would you?"

"Well, I could try to make the noise..." She took a deep breath, but Luke held up a hand to stop her.

"You know what, how about I just listen to it myself?" He said, stepping toward the elevator, but Lorelai rushed to block his entrance, nearly colliding with him in the process.

"You can't do that," She said, ignoring the fierce butterflies that spontaneously fluttered to life at this proximity to his body.

"And why is that, exactly?"

He stepped back a couple feet and Lorelai could feel the relief coursing through her, along with an ever-so-tiny smidgen of disappointment, though she wasn't quite sure why. It shouldn't matter to her one way or the other how close she and Luke were; they were just friends. Or if nothing else, coffee supplier and suppliee - if _suppliee_ was even a word.

She looked at him like _his_ elevator didn't go quite to the top. "You could die! The engine could explode! The cable could snap and you would fall! Or-"

"We're on the ground level; I wouldn't fall very far," Luke, ever the logical one, said, but Lorelai hardly heard him. She was on a roll now.

"...noise could be some switchy lever thing, and when you pressed the button, it could shoot you through the roof! I mean-"

"Lorelai!"

She stopped.

"I'm going in. And I promise you, there will be no explosions or shootings. It probably just needs some oil."

She sighed, melodramatic. "All right. But I'm coming with you. And don't blame me when we're blown to smithereens."

"I won't," He said, in a voice like he was placating a temperamental child.

He stepped toward the elevator again, and this time nothing stopped him. Instead, his former roadblock trailed behind, albeit hesitantly.

"Luke?"

He paused. "Yes?"

"Do you think you could leave your toolbox out here? The extra weight could cause the cable to snap or something."

Luke wasn't quite sure whether to laugh or roll his eyes. He settled on a shrug, and set the toolbox right outside the doors. He wouldn't need it until he discovered what was making the noise, anyway.

"Luke?"

He was now fully inside, and she was standing on the outside, hand outstretched.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with a cherry and chocolate syrup and-"

"All right." He reached out his hand to help her across. As their hands touched, an unwanted frission of _something_ shot up her arm, and Lorelai started to regret her action. She wasn't really afraid of the elevator, per say; she just wanted to annoy Luke. It was fun to annoy Luke.

But that frission hadn't been of annoyance.

She withdrew her hand from his as soon as she had crossed the threshold. Not too hastily, since that might seem weird, but a nice, casual withdrawal. "Thanks."

He grunted in response, pushed a button, and they watched the doors slide closed in front of them.

As the elevator gently started its ascent, an awful squealing, scraping noise arose from a mysterious region beneath the floor. They had only been rising for approximately five or six seconds when the elevator came to an abrupt, grinding halt.

"Oh my God," Lorelai said.

**TBC...**

**Please review:)**


	2. Stuck

**Notes: Wow, you can't even imagine how surprised I was to get that many reviews! I was expecting maybe three or four, but not fifteen! Thank you SO much, all! I apologise for the delay; unfortunately, homework takes priority...unless I'm procrastinating, which is how I got most of this written. But that's another subject entirely. Enjoy!**

**Spoilers: That Damn Donna Reed, One's Got Class and the Other One Dyes.**

**Disclaimer: See first chapter.**

**Chapter Two: Stuck**

"We're stuck."

"No shit, Sherlock."

She shot him a glance. "You know, for someone in a near-death situation, you certainly are grumpy."

"We're not in a near-death situation."

"You don't know that! We could be about to fall to our deaths!"

"Well, we're not." He paused for a few seconds, gaze roving over the various buttons on the elevator panel. "Where's the panic button on this thing, anyway?"

"Oh, here." She said, moving to stand next to him, and flipping a small, concealed plastic flap open, to press the red button underneath.

"Why the hell would you hide a panic button?" Luke asked, as a telephone ringing filtered through the built-in speaker.

"I don't know. Something about not wanting to disturb the homey feeling of the inn." She shrugged.

"And one button would do that?"

"Apparently the elevator people thought so thought so."

"Hello? Anybody there?" A third voice entered the conversation, and both Lorelai and Luke turned to stare at the speaker simultaneously. Lorelai turned her gaze to Luke, and then slowly back to the speaker.

"Kirk?" She asked, hesitantly.

"Lorelai? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Kirk."

"Oh, hi. You know, I called you this morning, but your answering machine picked up, and I don't know if you know this, but those things really scare me, and-"

"Kirk." Luke broke in.

"Luke?"

"Did it occur to you that we _might_ not have called just to chat?"

"Oh, no, sorry. What's up? Wait a minute...this isn't my Mom's phone; I'm at work. Are you guys in trouble?"

"We're stuck in the elevator at The Dragonfly. You think you could send someone down to help us?" Lorelai asked.

"Help is on the way." There was a clacking noise, and Kirk's far-away voice calling for someone named Jim.

"Yeah, Kirk?"

"Could you take over the telephones for a while? My friends are trapped in an elevator, and I need to go help them."

"Are you sure you want to do that, Kirk? You remember what happened last time..."

"These are my friends, and it's my duty to save them!" A door slammed in the background.

"Excuse me, folks?" A voice, presumably Jim's, came onto the line.

"Yes?" Lorelai asked.

"Stay calm. Someone's on their way right now."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Have a nice day." There was a click, and they were alone again.

"Did he just tell us to have a nice day?" Luke turned to Lorelai, who was trying not to laugh, apparently finding it more amusing than he did. "We're stuck in a damn elevator and he tells us to HAVE A NICE DAY!"

"Luke, calm down," She placed a hand on his arm. "He was just doing his job."

He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, took a couple deep breaths, and got himself under control. "Sorry." He said, grudgingly to Lorelai.

"It's okay." She paused, sliding down the wall to a sitting position. "Sorry I made you come out here." She said, and looking down at her, Luke could tell she meant it. He felt the remainder of his annoyance at the man melt away to be replaced with concern for Lorelai.

"It's not your fault," He said, moving to sit down beside her. "I could have said no." He was lying, of course; he could never say no to her. But he felt the irrepressible urge to make her happy, just as he always did.

They shared a smile, and companionable silence reigned for nearly fifteen minutes. Luke, no surprise, seemed perfectly comfortable with the arrangement. Lorelai, however, was in a different boat entirely.

Only she wasn't feeling the need to talk. If anything, it was the opposite. She couldn't explain what it was, but something about being trapped in close quarters with Luke was making her think thoughts she wouldn't otherwise think. Well, usually, anyway. Because she did think them _occasionally_, but all those times, she was able to escape. But at the moment, her thoughts were traveling down an extremely dangerous path, and she had nowhere to run to; nowhere to hide from the feelings which were haunting her. And, what was worse, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to. There was a part of her that just wanted to just sit there and daydream about Luke for hours, like she used to when she was a teenager. Dream about long, desire filled looks, and kissing...

Mmm, kissing Luke. He had such beautiful lips. And eyelashes. She would seriously kill for those eyelashes. Not to mention his eyes. When they weren't shooting mental daggers at her, anyway. Okay, not true. Even then, they were pretty much amazing. Of course, they were even better when they're all relaxed and dreamy...like they were that night behind the counter when she lost Rory's chick. Or...

Oh, God, she had to stop this. Soon. Otherwise, she might jump him. And an elevator _really_ was not the best place to be rejected. Who knew how long they might be stuck in there. Talk about awkward.

Of course, there was always the possibility that he _wouldn't_ reject her. Well, not in real life, but in her imagination, there was. She could lean over and kiss him, and he could just kiss her right back. With tongue. And soon, hands would rove...

She cleared her throat. Okay, that was it, she had to talk. She couldn't be responsible for her thoughts otherwise.

"Hey, Luke?"

He turned his head towards her. Wow, he was a lot closer than she remembered.

"Do you think we could talk?" She asked hopefully, giving him what she thought to be an enticing smile.

"Why?" Well, so much for her enticing powers.

"Oh, no reason." _Just my sanity,_ she thought.

"Why would you want to talk for no reason?"

She just stared at him.

"Oh, right. Sorry, forgot who I was talking to for a second." He deadpanned.

"That's okay." She said, smiling. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"You're the one that brought it up, why don't you talk?"

"Uh, that would defeat the purpose of me asking if _you_ wanted to talk." She said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So if I wasn't here, you would just be sitting here, talking to yourself?"

"Uhuh." She nodded her head.

"Unbelievable."

"Anyway, since you _insist_, I will pick the topic." She said, ignoring his comment.

"Be my guest."

She thought for a few seconds, before a thought came to her mind. She grinned.

"Okay, I have it. Truth or Dare."

"What?"

"Oh my God, you've never heard of Truth or Dare?! Okay, I know you're a hermit, Luke, but come _on_-"

"I know what Truth or Dare is, Lorelai," He said, giving her a look. "I was just wondering if you had suffered some kind of blow to the head that made you actually _want_ to play it."

She gasped. "Please don't tell me you just insulted Truth or Dare! It's a classic. Everyone loves that game."

"Everyone, apparently, but me."

"Fine." She crossed her arms and "Hmph!"-ed

"Lorelai..." She just turned her head away from him.

"Okay, fine, we can play, but only-"

He was cut off by Lorelai's squeal. "If I don't go deaf first," He muttered under his breath.

"Truth or dare?" She asked.

"I don't know...dare?"

"Mmkay...Give me a sec, I have to think up a good one." A few seconds passed, and she snapped her fingers, turning to give him a grin that had Luke instantly regretting his decision.

"I dare you...to sing a verse of 'Margaritaville.'"

"What?"

"Sing a verse of 'Margaritaville.' You know you can. Don't forget, I've seen the shirt!" She laughed.

"No."

Her mouth dropped open. "You're going to chicken out on your first dare?!"

"I told you, I don't like this game."

"Well, what kind of games _do_ you like?"

"The good kind. Scrabble, poker-"

"What about thumb wrestling?"

"Not since I was about eleven."

"Well, then, we need to fix that," She said, scooting out a few inches from the wall and turning sideways, motioning for him to do the same. "And prepare to be amazed, 'cause I've got mad thumb wrestling skills."

When they were both sitting on their knees, facing each other, Lorelai held her hand out. The moment his hand grasped hers, however, she started to question her sanity at suggesting that they actually _touch_ for an extended amount of time. Her previous thoughts that she had been ignoring came flashing back to her at the rasp of his callused hands against her more smooth ones.

Dang it, what was wrong with her? She touched Luke all the time. Well, maybe not all the time, but enough.

Enough that the touch of his hand shouldn't equal fantasies that involved moans and ripped clothing.

Lorelai realized with a start that she was still staring at their hands, and that Luke hadn't moved. He hadn't spoken either, and it had been nearly a full minute. She could feel her cheeks flushing, knowing it was impossible for him to have been reading her thoughts, but feeling like he could all the same.

She then moved her gaze from their hands to his eyes, wondering why he hadn't said anything about her uncharacterstic silence.

The moment their gazes collided, however, a game of thumb wrestling was the farthest thing from her mind.

She couldn't breathe.

Couldn't speak.

Her tongue felt like sandpaper, and her knees, had she been standing, would surely have turned to Jello.

He was staring at her so intensely, she felt her face flame. Luke's eyes seemed to be reflecting the same things she was feeling. But they couldn't be...he didn't feel that way about her. Right?

Lorelai could feel the pad of his thumb begin to trace lightly over her hand, turning it over, palm side up, to feel the pulse. His gaze never left hers as he did this, and Lorelai's lips parted. She must have managed to get some air into her constricted lungs, since she wasn't passed out on the floor, but she wasn't aware of it.

She was aware of nothing but him.

He began to lean forward ever-so-slowly, and Lorelai could do nothing but sit in exquisite anticipation. Finally, after what seemed like eons, his lips gently brushed hers. Light, like the kiss of a butterfly or fairy, and it lasted only a second. He drew back, and Lorelai's fingers went to her lips, her eyes remaining closed, memorizing the moment.

Luke, however, took her lack of response as a bad sign. He muttered "Sorry," and began to remove his hand from hers, only to find she wouldn't let it go.

"Luke." That was all it took, that one word, one syllable. So quickly, you couldn't even see him, his lips were attached to hers again. He thrust his tongue against her lips, and she parted them immediately, granting him access to the heaven of her mouth.

Her hands clutched at his shoulders, and she moved them up to throw his hat to the floor and run her hands through his hair. It was so soft. She would have to add that to the list of amazing things about Luke. That, and the fact that he was an extraordinary kisser.

They broke apart a couple minutes later, Luke placing sporadic kisses on and around her mouth as they gasped for air.

"Don't pull away again." She whispered.

"Never." And he reattached his lips to hers.

**TBC...**

**Now, please don't hate me! It just worked well for it to end there. And I promise I will get the next chapter up as soon as possible! **

**Everyone, thank you again for the wonderful reviews! You have no idea how much I love them...well, unless you're a writer yourself...then you probably do. :)**


	3. Finally

**Notes: Sorry this took so long! I've been working on it for a while now, but it just didn't feel right. Anyway, I finally finished it today (Haha, I rhymed!) and here it is - a present to all my fellow JavaJunkie junkies!**

**Thanks tons to everyone who reviewed and/or reviews. You guys rock my world!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Gilmore Girls. Shocker, huh?**

**Chapter Three: Finally**

_Previously, on Gilmore Girls:_

_"Don't pull away again," she whispered._

_"Never." And he reattached his lips to hers._

--

Heaven. This was heaven.

That was the only thing that managed to penetrate the thick haze of oblivion surrounding Lorelai's otherwise occupied brain. Why in the world they had not done this sooner was completely beyond her.

His lips tasted and felt even better than they looked, and his hands were soft and firm at the same time as they roamed over her body.

They broke apart for air again, this time resting their foreheads together as the sound of labored breathing filled the small space.

"Lorelai-"

Luke was interrupted by a banging on the elevator doors. _Damn it_, Lorelai cursed inwardly. Of all the times for them to be rescued.

"Folks?" A muffled male voice filtered through the metal. "Are you okay in there?"

_We were until you came along_, Lorelai thought. She was pretty sure she was going to hold a life-long grudge on whomever it was that interrupted them.

"Yes!" She managed to shout.

"Okay, well, we're going to open these doors about an inch, to give you some fresh air. We've located the problem, so you should be out in two minutes or so."

"Thank you!"

Luke was already moving away, and Lorelai did the same. They both stood to get the blood circulating in their legs - it seemed to have stopped at some point, though both had been to distracted to notice.

The tingling began to ebb slightly just as the doors slowly opened about an inch, as promised. Through the bottom foot and a half or so, Lorelai could still see the first floor lobby, and the small crowd of town residents gathered there. News traveled faster than fast in Stars Hollow.

She could feel tension, sexual and otherwise, still heavy in the air. She knew this thing would have to be resolved, but not then or there. There was not enough time, for one. She never got to make her second point, as the elevator jerked a couple times, and then started it's slow descent to the floor below.

--

"Man, look at their clothes! Somebody's been gettin' some!" Babette's voice, though intended to be discreet, filled the room as Lorelai and Luke emerged safe and sound from the elevator.

Rory, scrunching up her nose, turned to look at the older blonde woman. "Ew, Babette, that's my mom you're talking about!"

"I only wish it was me," Miss Patty mourned, from the other side of Babette.

"Oh, come on, Suga." Babette waved a hand. "Everyone's anyone knows this's been a long time comin'! Just be glad they're finally out of their misery."

Rory just shook her head and watched as a blur in a dark uniform that sounded suspiciously like Kirk hurled toward Lorelai and embraced her tightly.

"Lorelai! You're safe!"

"Aw, I love you too, Kirk." Lorelai said, giving him a pat on the back.

She waited for a few seconds, starting to become uncomfortable. "Okay, Kirk, I'm fine. You can let go now." When there was no reaction, Lorelai pressed harder, her voice more forceful than it had been. "Kirk, really, that's enough."

When he still didn't let go, Lorelai shot an imploring glance at Luke, who came over and tugged Kirk off of her. Kirk, however, was apparently not done hugging, and threw his arms around Luke instead. "Luke, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Kirk, get the hell off me," Luke said, annoyed.

Lorelai watched, laughing, as Rory came over to join her.

"Hey, kid."

"Hey. See you got away from Kirk."

"Yeah. I think Luke might kill me later, though." She said, nodding to where Kirk still held Luke in a death grip, rambling on about his being sorry for not getting there sooner, but stopping halfway to the Inn because he remembered he had no idea how to fix an elevator - not to mention the fact that he had a deathly fear of them - and going to get the elevator company instead.

"That would certainly make an interesting story. 'Local Stars Hollow resident escapes death by elevator and suffocation only to be killed by friend and coffee supplier.'" She sneaked a glance at Lorelai. "Or has Luke's title changed at all since I was last informed?" She asked with a knowing grin.

"Maybe," Lorelai's smile said it all, and Rory knew they would talk later, when they were at home, safe from the town gossip mill.

--

The bell rang out at _Luke's_ that night, just as he finished cleaning up.

Even though his back was to the door, Luke knew exactly who it would be, and he felt his heart rate speed up. He knew it shouldn't. He knew there was a possibility that she was coming to tell him that what happened in the elevator shouldn't have; that they should pretend like nothing had happened. But he couldn't seem to stop it.

He finally turned, giving the countertop one last swipe, and setting the cloth down before turning to look into the bluest of blue eyes that had invaded his dreams for years.

"Lorelai." Immediately, Luke cursed himself for not thinking of something else to say.

"Luke."

He could see her eyes sparkling with humor and thought that maybe it was a good sign.

"Coffee?"

"Need you ask?"

He shook his head at her, walking around the counter to pour some of the ever-present supply of coffee into a blue mug, setting it down before her.

"You know, that stuff'll-"

"Kill me. I know," She finished for him with a smile, before taking a sip of the steaming brown liquid.

She sat, nursing her mug of coffee, wondering if he was going to bring it up, or if she would have to. Not that she had a problem with doing it herself; she just couldn't seem to find the right words.

_Yep, that's right, folks. Lorelai Gilmore has been rendered speechless; this is one for the books!_ She thought sarcastically to herself. In all seriousness, though, she was incredibly annoyed at herself. This was Luke. She shouldn't be feeling like this around him - like she was walking on eggshells...or really tall high heels.

What if he wanted to forget what had happened? Lorelai wasn't sure she would be able to take that. She didn't think she was in love with Luke - at least, not yet - but she knew she was well on her way. All of the frissions and butterflies - not to mention the dream she had while Rory was away in Washington D. C. - added up perfectly to that conclusion.

It was then that she made a decision. If she knew Luke - and she was pretty sure she did - he might not even bring the subject up at all, for fear of making her uncomfortable. So she would broach the subject all on her own. Lorelai still did not know exactly what she was going to say, but it had to be said, and she could only hope that it would come to her in the moment. She took a deep breath, and counted down for herself. Three. Two. One.

"Luke, I-" 

"Lorelai-"

They both broke off, smiles that bordered on shy hovering on their lips.

"I just wanted you to know, what happened in the elevator today...it wasn't a mistake." Lorelai knew she had no reason to be so nervous when she saw his shoulders relax in an obvious relief of tension. Not to mention the expression in his eyes; the same one, she was sure, that she felt spreading throughout her body.

"It wasn't a mistake for me, either," He answered, coming out from behind the counter to where she stood.

"So, does this mean you'll be my _boyfriend_?" Lorelai asked, grinning, emphasizing the last word in a sing-song voice.

"As long as you never do that again," Luke answered, rolling his eyes even as he moved in closer, looping his arms around her lower back.

"No promises," She said, following suite and bringing her hands up to rest at the nape of his neck. "I think I might have to do it at least once a day."

"Once a month."

"Once a week?"

"I think I can live with that."

There was a pause, and they wore matching grins, just taking in the enormity of what was passing between them.

"Now, can I ask you something?" Lorelai's voice broke the silence.

"Maybe."

"Kiss me."

"With pleasure," He answered, and leaned down to do just that.

**The End**


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